Brandon Rush goes right at Suns center Marcin Gortat on his way to 14 points.

Photo: Paul Connors, Associated Press

Brandon Rush goes right at Suns center Marcin Gortat on his way to...

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Golden State Warriors forward Carl Landry, right, has the ball knocked out of his hands by Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris, left, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Stephen Curry had a game he'd like to forget Wednesday night, but he made a speech his teammates might always remember.

Curry was 2-for-14 for five points, but during a timeout with 1:04 remaining, he reminded his teammates that these were the kind of poor offensive showings that the Warriors of old used to regularly lose.

This season's version of the Warriors was somehow ahead 85-84 and came out of the timeout with a perfectly designed play that netted an open Carl Landry 17-footer and eventually an 87-85 victory at the US Airways Center.

"Steph said we didn't win games like this last year, and there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that that was changing this year," said Jarrett Jack, who came off the bench for 10 points and seven assists. "We were going to find the will to win."

It wasn't pretty, but the Warriors are starting to find an identity that links up with what coach Mark Jackson has been preaching. On a night when Curry, a lifetime 90 percent free-throw shooter, missed two in a row with 4.4 seconds left to give Phoenix a last chance, and David Lee went 2-for-16 from the floor, the Warriors' defense and depth ground out a victory in adverse conditions.

The Warriors had won just once in the desert in their past 14 tries, and they had won the season series here just once since 1994-95. So it was no surprise when their 17-point, first-half disappeared in the second.

By the time Phoenix took a 63-62 lead off an offensive rebound by Marcin Gortat with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter, Jackson had seemingly tried every combination he could think of. He was playing with Landry at center and Draymond Green at power forward when Gortat's putback gave the Suns their first lead since the 4:14 mark of the first quarter.

Gortat had 10 points and nine rebounds, consistently giving the Warriors fits in pick-and-roll action with Goran Dragic. The Suns' new point guard had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

"I'd rather not win this way, but it is satisfying," Jackson said. "Truth be told, we would have found a way to lose this game last year. We would have panicked. We acquired some key guys and are a better basketball team, and it was a big-time win for us."

Jack, acquired from New Orleans in a three-team trade that sent Dorell Wright to Philadelphia, was a calming influence, taking ball-handling responsibilities down the stretch from Curry, who had four turnovers. Landry, a prized free-agent forward, scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, including six of the Warriors' final eight points.

Andrew Bogut made his Warriors debut with eight points and six rebounds in 18 1/2 minutes, and rookie center Festus Ezeli added five rebounds in 14 minutes.

They all played defense. The Warriors limited the Suns to 40 percent shooting from the floor and 19 percent shooting from three-point range. They won the rebounding battle 49-44.

"A lot of games in the NBA aren't going to be played with a tuxedo on," Jack said. "You have to be able to get down into the grit, grind your teeth and find a way to get the W. I'm happy we dealt with some adversity early. It allows us to start building some of that character we've been missing around here."